Thursday, May 24, 2012

I just can't sit still.

Ever since graduating, I'm slowly but surely starting to realize just how much time I used to devote to school. These days, even with re-starting up the blog, working 40+ hours a week, volunteering and actually having a decent social life (gasp!)... I'm still finding myself bored.

I had forgotten what bored felt like.

Lucky for me, boredom doesn't last long when one has a garage full of craft supplies and a 2 hour break between morning shift and night shift!

While in Italy, my girlfriends and I went sight seeing, drank wine, ate fantastic food, drank wine, met some really wonderful people, drank some really wonderful wine oh, and did I mention we tried some Italian wine?

When in Rome... ;-)

So after a few days I started asking everyone t save their wine corks. I had no idea what I would do with them and up until a few days ago, they remained in the very same bag I brought them all home in almost a year ago. Then, inspiration via boredom!

First, gather together your supplies:

1 dark colored 4x6 frame (incase there are any gaps in between your corks)

Approximately 14 wine corks (try and stick to the real cork ones, they tend to absorb less of the glue and stick better than the synthetic plastic ones)

Quick drying glue

The sharpest knife you can find

Score the cork by cutting horizontally about 1/4 of the way through

Insert the point of the knife into the center of the scored line and push it all the way through until you begin to see the point coming out of the other side of the cork.

With a little muscle (and possibly the help of a not-at-all-sharp butter knife) you can now pry the cork apart into 2 even halves!

Mix up the corks so that it creates the illusion of 28 whole corks rather than just 14 halves

Starting from one corner of the frame and working your way around, lay out your corks to fill the frame

Line up the edges of the corks so they are flush with the picture opening (It's ok for the corks to be uneven around the outside, but you don't want them obscuring the photo)

One by one, pick up each cork and place a dab of glue on the frame (this creates less mess, trust me)

Allow to dry and put in a picture of your choosing!

You can choose to save the corks from a special occasion and frame a memory from it like I did or purchase the corks in bulk if you just can't wait! Makes for a great gift or a neat addition to any gallery wall!